Vividly
by IdentityCrisis.03
Summary: It's such a small world. You just wouldn't expect a single unknown girl to inspire so many people. [Author! AU]. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to 'Vividly' :) This story was supposed to be a one-shot, but I guess it turned into something more? I'm very sorry for any mistakes, I'm new to FanFiction and I'm still learning to use it.**

**It's my first story, so review and tell me what you thought, and if I should continue. Also I have many more ideas, and I'm hoping to make stories out of them as well. Should I, or should I not get a beta reader?**

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'_It was his first day in this hospital. It was too bright, yet bland and boring. White walls, white bed sheets, white everything. Even the nurses and doctors were decked out in white uniforms. Thinking about it, angels were also white. But this place was no heaven…'_

THE PAST

It was quiet. Too quiet – him being alone in the room. The only time someone came by was to check up on him, and give him the disgusting yet 'nutritional' meals. He tried to close his eyes, get away from the dreary room. It was no use though.

He had estimated by now… four hours. Four hours and someone else had finally arrived. In truth, he was hoping it was a friend or something, but of course, none of them would come out this far to meet him. The new arrival was wheeled in by the nurses. She was sleeping, her eyes closed and her long lashes sweeping over the top of her cheeks. The nurses connected her to the new drip and lifted her up onto the bed. It was the empty one next to the window. How lucky.

He barely slept that night. The lights in the room were off and he could hear the soft breathing from the girl and the beeps of the monitor resounding throughout the room. Footsteps ran past outside, probably the night nurses treating patients and other reckless people from late night accidents.

He had never really realised how alone people were in life, until no one came to visit him. Not even his parents.

This was his third day stuck in that room, and it seemed like his roommate had been going through the days as a haze. She would wake up, no matter what time it was, and nurse would come rushing in, treating her for a few minutes before she fell back into a slumber and everyone left the room again.

Honestly, he was curious as to why she was treated to attentively. But he didn't bother to ask. They would probably never tell him anyway.

"You must be annoyed." A soft voice spoke. He must be hearing things… being in such an environment could explain it, but then, the voice continued to speak, "You must be annoyed having me as your roommate. There'd be no one to talk to before this after all."

He squinted in the darkness, over to the window side of the room.

"No nurses coming in this time?" he asked sceptically... There was a loud rustle and he guessed that she was nodding her head, along with a soft hum for her direction.

"Yeah, I don't have to rest anymore. The treatment didn't work. I guess you could say I'm a guinea pig here, running on all this medication and all." She said sarcastically. There was no doubt that this wasn't the first time she'd said such things.

"How long have you been here?" he asked, and then quickly added, "I mean in the hospital of course… not just in this room."

"Six years and five months. People come and go, and they always ask the same thing. I've always been in this room though." There was a speck of sadness reflected in her voice.

"Why?" he couldn't help but ask more.

"Ah, I'm terminally ill. There's still no cure, they're running experiments though. I'll be gone by then probably. Every time I leave the hospital, my condition worsens faster than it would if I stay here. Honestly though, I wouldn't care either way. Fate gave it to me that I would die soon anyway." She coughed slightly. The girl sounded like a reject now. Like she'd given up on life. Her voice was clear of all the sadness and was now bitter and cold.

"Do your friends visit you then?"

"Friends?" she spat, venom in her voice.

"Yeah, don't they visit you? Give you flowers or 'get well' cards?"

"I… I don't have any." She admitted.

"Haven't you been to school? Or were you… maybe an outcast?" he was almost scared to ask.

"You… you ask too many questions!" she snapped and the room was suddenly filled with silence.

The two lay there, not sure whether the other had fallen asleep yet or not.

"Sorry… I'm just not used to opening up so easily. Oh, I'm Lucy by the way." She whispered, not wanting to break the silence by speaking in a normal tone.

"It's okay. I asked something personal that you didn't need to share. I'm Gray. I was transferred here for surgery." He wriggled around in his bed, unable to move his back too much.

"Hmmm, so you'll be leaving too…"

"I still have to wait for three months."

"That's not very long you know."

"Well, it is for me."

The two kept talking, through the night and right into the morning. They talked about random things, about their life outside of the hospital. Gray had an adoptive family, and Lucy – she was quite wealthy, but had lost her mother long ago. They even talked about their favourite celebrities, their favourite hobbies and then everything in between. They almost knew each other like an open book.

The sun finally shone through the only window in the room, and they looked at each other properly for the first time.

"You have really nice eyes." Gray couldn't help but compliment. Her chocolate-brown eyes shone with brightness although she'd been caged in a room for so long. She blushed slightly, giggling.

"Well I've never met someone with midnight blue hair before." She smiled in return.

"Ah, it's not weird though." Gray quickly said, "One of my friends has pink hair. He's a pink-headed pyro."

Lucy's eyes widened, "Surely not! It must be salmon or rose or something." She gushed.

"Nope. It's definitely pink, even if he denies it." Gray pulled a face.

The two broke out into stifled laughter.

"Argh…" the boy sighed after a while, looking over at the silent blonde, "there really is nothing interesting here after some time."

"Hmmm? Wanna play a game then?" Lucy pointed out the window.

"What kind of game?" He cocked up and eyebrow.

"I don't think it's very fun, but, I tell you what I see outside the window. And then I'll tell you a story based on what I see."

"Sounds nice." Gray shrugged. He was curious to know what was out there anyway. He had been transferred from his hometown for the surgery after all.

"Well, outside, it's pretty bright and sunny. There are heaps of colours. Red, orange, yellow, green. Almost the rainbow huh? But most of those colours are from the trees. It's a park down there. There's a long, twisting footpath through the middle of the park, and there are heaps of families around too. Some couples are sitting on the benches that sit on the edge of the path. Ooh, there's a group of cyclists that just rode past too." She looked over at Gray and was surprised he was still listening intently.

"You speak so vividly… I can almost imagine it in my head." Gray tapped his forehead, smiling.

"Thanks… there's a big fountain right next to the biggest tree! It looks a bit old, but there are two swans making a love heart at the top and all the water is falling down like a waterfall… imagine when it freezes over in winter! Winter's the best season!" Lucy fist pumped, "Hey, there's all these little kids running around chasing each other." She smiled sadly.

"Have you ever played tiggy before?" Gray asked.

Lucy just shook her head, "What's that?"

"The thing you just said. Running around and chasing each other. You really have been cooped up for a long time…"

"I want to play tiggy one day!" Lucy cheered, feeling childish.

* * *

7 WEEKS LATER

"You can really tell winter is on its way… Everyone is still outside, but they're all rugged up in gloves and scarves! Speaking of gloves and scarves… There was a girl and a boy, both attending the same school. It was the middle of winter and the boy had a pair of gloves and the girl had a scarf. As they were on the way to school, the wind picked up and the girl couldn't help but shiver. The boy who was trailing behind her walked up and offered her one of his gloves. 'To keep you warm.' He'd said. Gratefully, she took the glove and was caught by surprise when he took her other hand in his own bare one…" Lucy trailed off, turning to Gray.

"Why did you stop?"

"I was just thinking… aren't you bored of my stories? I mean they're sappy and all." She wondered, looking at him worriedly. She wasn't the best story teller, even if she loved her books. Her imagination wasn't wild and being in the same room, seeing the same thing every day could really add to that.

"Your stories? Nah, they're not that bad… It's not like there's anything else to do anyway." Gray shrugged. During his whole stay, Lucy had at least told him a different story every day. He secretly like them a lot more than he showed, and even worse, he'd started to grow… feeling for the blonde girl. Just having her there, all bubbly and hopeful, hopeful to be able to go outside again and gain some experience. It was like his new drug.

"You know what? I'll finish telling you my story tomorrow then…" Lucy smiled drowsily.

"Alright." He sighed, Lucy slept for almost 18 hours a day, always waking up at irregular times. She would eat, tell Gray a story – if he was awake, and then pretty much go back to sleep again.

* * *

"Wow, I really get the meaning of Christmas in July. There's snow everywhere, all the trees are bare and the footpaths look pretty slippery. Imagine skating on that!" Lucy pressed her hand against the window, but quickly pulled it back, shaking it around like t had been bitten, "Even the window is cold!"

Despite her statement, she began drawing smiley faces and small doodles across the foggy glass. Gray continued to stare in amusement at her half-hearted attempt to write something backwards.

His focus was snapped to the door when there was a soft knock and a nurse entered the room. Lucy turned to look and froze when she saw the package that the nurse was holding.

"Ah, Miss Heartfilia. Your father couldn't make it himself, but he asked us to deliver this package to you… Happy Birthday." The nurse timidly handed over the neatly wrapped gift to the blonde as she took it cautiously.

The nurse soon left without a moment to spare and Gray looked over to the frail girl, his eyebrows almost touching his hairline.

"So it's your birthday huh? Well, Happy Birthday then." Gray gave her a crooked smile, slightly disheartened at the fact he'd just found out and he had no gift for her.

"Mmm, it's not even Papa's writing." She whispered sadly.

"Sorry, what?" Gray asked.

"Well, every year since I came here, Papa promised to visit me on my birthday if no other date. He came the first time, but never again after that. Now he just sends me a present, which was probably picked by the maid, since he has no idea what my interests are, and to make matters worse, he doesn't even write his own birthday note to me." Lucy buried herself within the covers of the hospital blanket.

"What did he get you?" Gray wanted to know. He felt bad he didn't have a present for her.

Slowly, with shaking hands, the blonde managed to neatly rip off the wrapping and a smaller package fell out, along with a wad of cash.

"Money." She said dully, picking it up gingerly, her voice void of emotion. She looked at Gray with disgusted eyes, "Do you want it?" She held it out to him, the smaller package forgotten in the folds of her blanket.

"What?! No! That's your present!" Gray quickly denied, holding his arms up in the shape of a cross.

"You call this… a present?" She scoffed, dropping it onto the ground. The wad of cash landed with an unsatisfying thud and Lucy looked away from it, back out the window. "I can't even use it."

"Hey Lucy…"

"Yes Gray?" The boy felt his heart jump at the way she spoke his name.

"I was wondering, what's going to happen when I… leave?"

His friend turned to him sharply, her lip holding back a quiver.

"I don't really know… I – I guess it's the same as always, someone else will come along anyway." Lucy gulped, turning slightly pale.

The midnight blue haired boy felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Did Lucy only care that much for him? Was he nothing more than another mere person to share a hospital room in?

"A-Anyway, do you want me to tell you a story about what's outside the w-window?"

Gray opened his mouth to speak when Lucy suddenly belched over in a violent movement, her hand covering her mouth tightly.

There was a small cough. Then another. And another. The coughing kept growing louder, and more often. Soon, it became hacking, as if Lucy was struggling to breathe.

She shook violently, her coughing never decreasing. The monitor in the room beeped faster and louder.

Gray knew he had to call out for help, but his mouth felt dry. He was paralysed as everything became a blur around him.

* * *

"Do you think… that maybe, I could be moved to the bed by the window?"

The nurse nodded, albeit uncertainly, and helped him across the room with a few other doctors.

"A reminder your surgery has been moved up, and is to be conducted within the next week."

Gray nodded.

"Ah, and I found this on the floor, is it yours?" The man held out a small box toward him.

"Uh… yeah." Gray remembered it falling out of Lucy's present, and took it for the sake of it.

The doctor left the room, shutting the door behind him as Gray heaved a sigh. The curiosity had really gotten the better of him. Slowly, he pushed himself up, wincing at the pain, but determined to see through to the other side of the window.

Taking a small peek out of the pane to see the wonders of the world outside… he was heartbroken. Devastated.

There was nothing there. Just the ugly, cracked concrete of the opposite building. Plain and grey.

Just like how he felt. With Lucy, everything had been so vivid, the trees, the falling leaves, and the twisting footpath running through the park. But it was all just a lie.

He sighed, refusing to let a tear escape. Lucy was gone, he hadn't anything about her since her coughing fit. He just… missed her. Gray finally understood how it felt to be left alone, and he silently made a vow to never let it happen to anyone close to him ever again.

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* * *

THE PRESENT

It's been five years since Gray had his surgery – a huge success, they'd told him. Today was a week from when he'd officially published his first book 'The Window Girl' by G.F Milkovich, his pen name as an author.

His late blonde haired friend's little stories had inspired him to write his own, and of course, his first book was dedicated to her.

'_Dedicated to my very own Window Girl; Lucy_'

He never did get her last name, after all.

Gray clutched at his cross necklace, two hoop earrings with pink hearts dangling off them also clipped to the chain. They were from Lucy's birthday present, but she'd probably never get them.

The man picked up his first fan mail and opened it with shaking hands. The letter was bordered with little fairies and he looked toward the first line to read the loopy, yet neat writing.

_Hi,_  
_I can't help but mail you about your first book._  
_I'd like to say congratulations, and that… well, I'm one of your biggest fans.  
I read about how the book was coming out soon and followed your blog soon after._  
_I love your story, and it sounds so realistic, like you've really experienced what you've written._  
_It's a secret, but I really understand how you feel. I guess you could say I've been there once._  
_Good luck with the rest of your stories/ career, I'm really looking forward to reading them all._  
_Regards,_  
_Titania_

Gray read the mail over and over. So many times that he'd memorised it all. He was curious. Who was this fan of his? _'I really understand how you feel. I guess you could say, I've been there once.'_

What did that imply?

* * *

**Should I continue?**

**Thank you for reading. ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**This is the next chapter, I think it's rushed… but I couldn't help but update. I'm sorry for any mistakes.**

**Thank you to XXinsidemymindXX and AncientAlliance for following and favouriting.**

**Reviews:**

_**I am Asuna Of Knights of Blood**_** – Thank you for being my first reviewer! I'm really happy about that. I can't tell you the answer to the question, because that would mean spoilers. And I wrote a story on Quotev once… but I ended up deactivating the account. I write random stories and never publish those too.**

_**AncientAlliance – **_**Thank you for all of your praise! I personally think Erza is a little OOC here, and that this chapter is rushed and a little boring.**

**I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

'_That girl by the window, she looked so serene, almost untouchable. She was like a princess out of a Fairy Tale, just the kind that refused to be saved by a knight in shining armour…'_

* * *

THE PRESENT

Gray whistled lowly, walking along the busy streets of Magnolia. He had been walking aimlessly for a while when he suddenly stopped and backtracked to the bookstore he'd just passed. Out on display, as one of the best-selling from the previous years, was _'Tower of Heaven'_ a heartfelt story of friendship and loyalty. The book was hard to find and was often sold out. It _was_ written by the legendary Titania after all.

Wait.

He whipped out his phone and looked up Titania's blog, scrolling through it quickly to find any connections between the one that had mailed him and the author. There was no picture on the blog, obviously wanting to keep their identity secret.

Sighing when he found nothing, he went to put his phone away when something caught his eye.

Right at the bottom of the blog, was the author's signature. He zoomed in on the webpage and tried to decode it, but could only make out the obvious 'E' at the start of the signature.

Realising that people were grumbling at him to keep moving, he continued to walk until he reached his favourite café – Strauss' Take Over.

Walking in, the door chimed signifying his entrance as a few other regulars looked up and waved.

"Yo, Mira," He nodded to the busty woman at the counter, "the usual."

Looking around for his usual seat, he found it taken by a customer. He turned to find another table but stopped when it seemed like every other table had magically become occupied.

"Excuse me." He asked casually, "Is this seat taken?"

The scarlet haired girl shook her head and continued to scribble in the notebook set out on the table in front of her, a half-eaten slice of strawberry shortcake sitting next to it. She had a slightly intimidating aura, making Gray gulp and reconsider sitting down or not.

She finally looked up with a sharp look in her eyes when he kept standing.

"Are you going to sit?" She asked shortly.

"I – uh… yes." He gave a quick nod before slipping into the seat before him.

He watched her write as he waited for his order to come along and hopefully break the awkwardness between the two.

"So, do you often come here?" he found himself asking.

"On the rare occasion." She replied.

"I see – "

"Your vanilla ice cream and iced water." Lisanna, Mira's sister, walked up to the table and set the two dishes onto the table, which was already quite crowded, "Sorry for the wait. Our store is getting busier by the second! You two regulars might not be the only special ones here anymore." The girl winked playfully and walked away, professionally flipping open a notepad and taking another customer's order.

Gray looked back at the girl sitting opposite him with a raised eyebrow, "On the rare occasion hey?"

The girls hair fell and curtained her face, as if hiding a blush, "Shut up." Her hand seemed to move as a reflex as it balled into a fist and a placed a not-so-light punch to his arm.

He held back a wince of pain as he rubbed at the already forming bruise, "What was that for?"

The girl froze up and looked up slowly, a scary look on her face, "I'm very sorry. Feel free to hit me back now." She bowed a few times.

"Uh… no that's okay." He quickly picked up his spoon and dug into his melting ice cream, "So, is that your journal?"

The scarlet haired beauty blinked a few times few giving out a soft laugh, "No, this is my rough draft."

"You're an authoress?" He went wide-eyed in excitement, it wasn't every day you met a fellow writer.

She nodded, "Of course, I'd never really planned my career out like this… but someone just happened to inspire me."

"Really? Me too!" He yelled, just loud enough to cause the whole café to look at him.

"So you like to write as well?" she looked at him in disbelief, as if she thought he was just trying to chat her up.

"Yeah, I just published my first book a few weeks ago." Gray leaned back in his chair, his food forgotten.

The girl's eyes bugged out in surprise, "You couldn't be… you wouldn't happen to be the author of '_The Window Girl_' would you?"

"The one and only." Gray nodded in embarrassment, "You probably thought I was a girl."

"Just a little…" she nodded seriously. Gray gave a hurt face, this girl really didn't cut corners.

"Although that book has a happy ending." He muttered and sighed, it was then when he realised they hadn't yet introduced, "I'm Gray, by the way. Gray Fullbuster."

"Makes sense, your pen name is G.F Milkovich after all." She gave another nod, "I'm Erza, Erza Scarlet. Your book was something one would really connect to."

"It_ is_ based off a personal experience."

"So Suki is a real person you've met before?" Erza raised her eyebrows.

"No, her name was Lucy… the book is dedicated to her." Gray shifted in his seat and scratched his hair awkwardly.

"Lucy…" she said slowly, as if testing the name on her tongue, "When did the two of you meet?"

"It was a long time ago." He stirred his now room-temperature drink, "She just… disappeared."

"You know, my first book… it was also dedicated to a girl named Lucy."

"What was it called? I may have read it before." Gray looked up.

"'_Underneath the Armour'_." Erza looked on with hopeful eyes.

"You…" Gray hissed, causing her face to fall, "YOU'RE THE LEGENDARY TITANIA?!"

Everyone looked toward the two again with confused faces as Erza promptly socked him on the cheek.

"Shhh! No one else knows!" She whisper yelled, although her face was positively glowing in happiness.

"So are you possibly the one who sent me that fan mail?" Gray asked when he finally calmed down.

"No…" she waved him off, but stopped and replied, "Okay, yes. I finished the book in two hours… I couldn't help myself. I was stuck on my own story anyway."

Gray nodded, becoming serious, "So what did you mean when you wrote _'I guess you could say, I've been there once'_ in the letter?"

"I'm actually an… orphan. No one has ever really been there for me. But then one day, I went to the doctors to get my eye checked up on and I met Lucy there…

* * *

THE PAST

"Kagura, watch out!" a young boy stood, frozen on the edge of the side walk. Suddenly, a girl dashed out and pushed her out of the way, she herself, ducking just in time so that she wasn't hit in the heart.

Instead, blood poured out of her head as she lay on the road, unconscious.

Simon – the boy, watched as the people they'd tried to steal from ran away, saying it wasn't their fault.

Kagura, however, sat on the opposite side of the road and looked on with terrified eyes.

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A MONTH LATER

"So Erza, how is your new home?" The doctor kindly asked.

"There are lots of people there. I made some friends." The girl nodded.

"And how is your eye?"

"Uncomfortable. It always scares the adults looking at us away from me because I can only cry from one eye and Rob told me I wasn't being very respectful to my elders."

"Why is that?"

"Because I –" Erza was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Lucy has arrived." The receptionist said.

The doctor nodded, "Why don't you bring her in?"

A few minutes later, a tiny blonde entered the room and smiled widely.

"Doctor! I am here!" she greeted enthusiastically, but stopped when she saw Erza, "Hi! I'm Lucy!" she immediately introduced.

The girl nodded and whispered her introduction back.

"Why are you wearing so many jackets in summer?" Lucy stayed cheerful despite Erza's lack of emotion.

"I'm hiding." Erza said in the same tone.

"Hiding? Like hide and seek? I wanna play that! ...But you don't really _look_ like you're hiding." Unknown to them, the doctor had long left the room.

"I am hiding."

"From what then?"

"From myself."

"You can't hide from yourself!" Lucy's jaw dropped, "Mama always told me not to hide. Like one time, there was a hugeeee dragon." She spread her arms out wide.

"Dragon? There's no such thing." Erza scoffed, opening up a little.

"Well, in my fantasy world, there is." Lucy stuck out her tongue, "So, the dragon was a fire breathing dragon."

"Aren't all dragon's fire breathing?" Erza was beginning to question Lucy's mentality, what kind of things were running through her head?

"Just use your _imagination_ and pretend there are other types." Lucy huffed and pouted, "Anyway, this fire breathing dragon… was scared of FIRE! All of the other dragons laughed at him, so he ran away and hid. But, because he hid, he became very lonely, and sad. And do you know what happens when you're sad? You can get sick! That's what Mama told me! I don't know what kind of sickness though. But sometimes sick people can't stay alive. So if you want to live, you should stop hiding!"

Erza's lip trembled.

"And nobody wants to be alone… so that's why you need real f-friends!" Lucy stuttered and then whispered, "The one's you can cry with, the one's you can always be happy with, and so much more! That's what Mama told me!" Lucy burst into tears.

Erza couldn't help it, she didn't want to die, and the concept of it was scary enough. And Simon and Kagura were really upset when she was hurt. What if it became the real deal? She let her first tear fall.

The two hugged each other tight as they both cried. Lucy didn't comment on Erza's eye, and she didn't say anything to help stop her sobs. But that was just how it was supposed to be.

Two strangers. A fateful moment that changed Erza's life.

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But just like that, little Lucy disappeared from Erza's grasp.

* * *

THE PRESENT

… She made me realise that being alone was just another part of life. She made me do that u-turn back into the right direction. I've never seen or even heard of Lucy again, not since..." Erza sighed wistfully, "Anyway, how was she when you met her?"

"The last time I saw her was on her birthday 5 years ago. She said she was terminally ill. I don't know if she's in heaven or still suffering on Earth." Gray looked up to the roof of the café, "Wherever she is… I hope she's happy."

"Same here." Erza smiled.

* * *

_Hey,  
I met him today, G.F Milkovich. Yes, he was male.  
Guess what? He knew Lucy too.  
Call me as soon as you get this.  
Regards,  
Titania_

* * *

**A lot shorter than yesterdays, but the rest of the chapters are probably going to be this long anyway.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to StarryPanda and Mysticchowz for following :)**

**Fairy Tail belongs to Mashima Hiro, and him only**

* * *

_'Suki seemed so alive at the time. Always up and talking, the two were like best friends, pulled together by fate. But the same fate was what would tear them apart.'_

* * *

THE PRESENT

"I can't believe they rejected me again!" A small blue haired girl grumbled as she stomped down the empty street. She hugged a thick stack of paper to her chest as she continued to rant, "People are so… so… argh! How could they just turn down my story like that?! There is friendship, love, drama… what kind of teenage girl doesn't like these kinds of books these days?"

She continued to talk to herself, turning the corner and walking into a café that was owned by her childhood friends. It was fairly popular and it was always a lively place, even so late in the evening.

The bell chimed as she entered, the aroma of coffee filling her nostrils.

Nodding toward Lisanna, who was wiping down a table, she took a seat at the counter.

"Levy, it's quite unusual to see you out and about at this time of the day. What's got you so down?" Mira asked as she placed a cup of steaming tea in front of her.

"You like my stories don't you?" Levy looked up with pleading eyes.

"Of course… I'd buy every copy of your books if they were published." Mira nodded before her mouth formed an 'o' in realisation, "You had that meeting with the publisher today didn't you?"

"Mhmm. It was all going well for the first three hours. I told them my inspiration, and how I made to story what it came to be. And then, suddenly, I was so close to getting a yes out of the publisher when someone else came by and said 'no," she started to imitate a gruff voice, "your stories aren't the best for the audience these days, you sound like an amateur. You seem inexperienced and your story is conveying that. Have you _ever_ even been confessed to?' That was word for word!"

Mira placed a hand in front of her mouth, stopping herself from laughing out loud. It wasn't every day the usually calm Levy became a feisty girl.

"And you know what?" Levy moved to lean her cheek on her palm, "He's right, I'm just an avid reader of sappy romance stories and I guess I really don't have a great source of inspiration. I just wish Lucy was here…"

"Levy… that's almost taboo here!" Mira said, shocked, her eyes starting to water.

"I know… but, I just miss her so much." Levy hid her face in her arms, muttering quietly, "She's never spoken to us again ever since she found out."

"Levy? Is that you?" a voice rung out from behind her as her head snapped up.

"Erza?" Levy said in surprise, and then looked over to the boy standing next to her, "Gray? You two know each other?"

The trio looked at one another silently, as if sharing mutual respect.

"So how do we all happen to know each other?" Levy asked, breaking the silence, "Erza and I went to high school together, and I met Gray at the publishers office…"

"Erza and I have just met now. We happened to share a table during the lunch rush hour… I guess we must have been talking for a few hours huh?" Gray rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, but I've got to head back…" Erza looked at her watch and spoke.

"Bye! We should catch up soon!" Levy called out as the scarlet haired woman left the café.

"Any luck on your story yet?" Gray asked, slipping into the seat next to her.

"I wish…" She snorted.

* * *

Levy sighed as she rolled over in her bed, it had been a long day, and she was beginning to think that maybe she wasn't fit to be an author like everyone else.

Her thoughts started to become jumbled as she drifted off…

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THE PAST

"Levy, darling. You know the rich business in the next town across?" the little girl's parents cooed out to her, "The father has invited you to celebrate his daughters 10th birthday."

"Ok. But you said they were spoilt and mean people." The girl nodded.

"Well, you should always be nice, no matter what kind of person they are. So how about we look for a pretty dress for you to wear? I heard the Strauss' children were also invited too."

"Ok!" Levy became excited at this point. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with the others there.

* * *

So there stood Levy, Mira, Lisanna, Elfman and a few other people in town in front of the large oak doors.

Everyone looked at the mansion in awe as Lisanna finally pushed Elfman to go and knock on the door.

"Go on. Knocking on doors is manly." She said, making him gulp.

Slowly, he took a few steps forward and tapped timidly on the door twice, stumbling back when the doors suddenly creaked open.

"Welcome… I assume your all here to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Please enjoy yourself and don't be afraid to ask of anything." A tall blonde man forced a smile onto his face.

Smiling widely back, all of the children ran into the mansion, immediately running around to explore.

Levy and the Strauss siblings stuck together and decided find someone to help look for the birthday girl. Spoilt brat or not, everyone deserved to celebrate their birthday with others.

"Excuse me, miss, we were hoping to find…" Levy looked down to the invitation she'd brought along with her, "Lucy."

"Ah, she is in the kitchen." The woman said, "I can take you there. But call me Ms Spetto."

The four nodded and trailed after the lady in silence. As they drifted through the grand hallways, they gasped in awe at the intricate paintings hung up throughout the household, each one seeming to tell a different story.

"Some of them were painted by Lucy and her mother." Ms Spetto's voice cut through the silence.

"Erm, Lucy must have a very loving mother then." Mira smiled sweetly, but inside she was about to punch one of the paintings. The spoilt little girl was all fancy pants-y with her mum, making elegant paintings instead of doing the chores alongside with their parents. Rich people must have it good.

"Yes, Layla was a very loving person."

Mira seemed to snap out of her reverie as the other three stopped walking.

"Is Lucy's mum not here in the mansion anymore?" Lisanna asked, tears in her eyes, "That's so sad!"

Lisanna started to bawl her eyes out and Levy had to help comfort the crying girl. Mira looked back at the paintings with a guilty face and Elfman started screaming about how crying wasn't manly – although he had tears streaming down his face too.

"Well, we're here now, so go and enjoy yourselves." The older woman walked away, leaving the four standing in front of a door that said 'KITCHEN' on it.

Just as they took a step forward, the door flew open and a small blonde haired girl rushed out. She screeched to a halt before crashing into them and smiled.

"Ah! Are you here for my birthday? I'm Lucy!" Lucy wore a – now dirty – pink dress and held a rice ball in her hands, "Come with me! I'm going to give this to Papa!"

She held up the rice ball and ran off, the four quick to stumble after her.

"So, what are your names?" Lucy giggled and shouted behind her.

"I'm Levy!" The blue haired girl screamed back, "That's Mira, Elfman and Lisanna." She pointed to each of them respectively.

"Catch me if you can!" Lucy poked out her tongue as the others looked on, bewildered.

"Well? Let's chase her!" Lisanna giggled and ran faster as the others sped up as well.

They continued on in the high speed chase until Lucy suddenly stopped and quickly caught her breath.

Catching up to her, Lucy put a finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet.

Knocking on the door, you could hear a gruff 'come in' before Lucy went inside, telling them to stay put.

They couldn't hear anything from inside until someone rose their voice.

"Lucy, I'm trying to work here! Take the filthy rice ball and get out!" the man boomed.

Levy and Mira looked at each other with scared expressions when the blonde burst out the door, sobbing.

Upon seeing the four standing there, she wiped away her tears and mustered up a smile, "Papa said he'll eat the rice ball later!" she said brightly.

Levy leapt forward and embraced the 10 year old in a hug, "Do you have cake? We're hungry!"

The white haired children nodded along with her as Lucy laughed, a red tinge adorning her cheeks.

"Cake! Cake!" she started to chant parading along the hallway. The others started to follow suit as the children that had gone exploring peeked out of the rooms and tagged along.

"We have fruit, sausage rolls, mini pies, chicken sticks…" Lucy rambled on about the food they had, and it was anything but a fancy meal.

They reached the grand hall, everyone gathering along with them. Pushing open the door, there was a large table along the side of the room with chairs and there were activities set up in the middle of the room.

Squealing in excitement, everyone rushed in the rest of the party going in a blur.

Lucy, Mira, Elfman, Lisanna and Levy became close friends, and the blonde invited them to come back one day.

They told each other stories, threw cake at each other and even made a painting together. At first, they were reluctant to, Lucy would probably create an amazing painting in comparison. But when Lucy rubbed her head in embarrassment and said that she'd actually just watched her mum paint, they'd had no problem with participating.

Everyone enjoyed their stay, but only the four had really talked to Lucy personally.

In fact, they were almost like best friends until one day Lucy was told something she never wanted to hear.

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"_Lucy, you need to stop inviting them over. They aren't your friends." Her father had said._

"_But… why? We have fun together." Lucy looked crestfallen._

"_Lucy, you asked for a birthday party, and I gave one to you, isn't that enough?"_

"_Papa… I asked for friends, not a party." _

"_Yes, but how else would you make friends?" he asked. Lucy kept her mouth shut, "Nobody wanted to come, so I gave them money to be friends with you."_

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"I HATE ALL OF YOU!" Lucy screamed, her face full of tears, "YOU ALL LIED TO ME. PAPA PAID YOU! HE PAID YOU! YOU AREN'T MY FRIENDS!"

They never saw Lucy again… she just… disappeared.

THE PRESENT

Levy shot up in her bed; it'd been a while since she'd dreamt about Lucy. She'd never actually known that her parents were paid for Levy to attend the party. Not until she'd asked.

She was so mad, yet surprisingly slightly grateful at the same time; grateful because she was able to meet Lucy and change her opinion on the blonde. But mad that her parents did such a thing.

Sure she came from a poor town, but… was something like that really the right thing to do? How was that humane?

Levy almost screamed in frustration. These things always popped into her mind when she though about Lucy.

She looked at the time – 6 am. She needed a coffee fix.

* * *

**That's it for now... a bit disheartened because there weren't any reviews telling me what you guys thought, but I hope you liked this chapter**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter I was a bit stuck on and it's a wee bit shorter… you don't really get to see much of Jellal's true personality within both the anime and manga, so I had trouble with getting his character down pat. In the end, I think I made it a bit OOC.**

**Thank you to ReadingGurl07, purplegurl14luvsu, Graluheartfullbuster and thecagedsong for following and/or favouriting! :D**

**Reviews:**

_**thecagedsong – **_**Thank you! I really tried to see from the perspective of each character and their age, and I personally think Levy's flashback is better than Erza's too. **

_**ReadingGurl07 – **_**Awww, thanks heaps for your support so far! I'm sorry the chapter is a bit late, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.**

_**AncientAlliance – **_**Thank you so much for your review! Since this was supposed to be a one-shot, the first chapter was actually based of a story I was told by a friend, and I guess it just lead to something more. The ideas just kept growing in my mind :P Unfortunately, I am not going to reveal my secrets about who Erza's message was to, so I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out! :D**

_**DragonHalf – **_**Thanks for your review… and I guess that's just something you'll have to see.**

* * *

'_In that time, she seemed really nice. Except he was mad at that moment, so he just brushed her off and said mean things. But somehow, when he looked back on his words, that was what inspired him the most.'_

* * *

THE PRESENT

"Yes. I'm out on break… I haven't slept for a few days… I'm just getting a coffee." A man paused as he listened to the person yell at him from the other line, "But the coffee at the department tastes horrible."

He started walking again, turning down a familiar street while constantly sighing at whoever was on the other end of the phone. His conversation seemed very one sided as he only added in a few words here and there.

"No... Coffee is a great stimulant... I do drink water… _You're_ the one who won't let me eat." The blue haired man scratched his messy hair in an attempt to neaten it before stepping into the café, "Everyone should know what to do. Yes, even if I'm not there… They've all worked with me for what? 3 years now? Fine, bye."

The men heaved a relieved, yet seemingly stressed sigh as the well-known café owner smiled at him, "Hey Jellal. It's been a while. Rough day?"

"There's never been a 'smooth' day for me. Well, not for the past 3 years at least." Jellal rubbed at his tired eyes.

"Well, it's certainly showing. Maybe you need a break." Mira set to work on making a coffee she knew all too well. She made it a habit to remember all of her regular's usual orders, and she could tell Jellal was really dying for his favourite.

"I wish…" Jellal stated, referring to Mira's earlier comment. He started to pat his jean pockets for his wallet when Mira stopped him.

"Don't worry," Mira placed a steaming take away cup in front of him, "this one is on the house."

Jellal flashed Mira a tired smile before picking up the cup and taking a small sip, "Thanks Mira. Could you do me a favour?"

"Sure." Mira sent back a bright smile.

"Mmm, it's nothing much… but if Erza comes along, tell her I said hi."

"Still not on speaking terms, huh?" Mira wiped down the bench.

The blue haired boy said nothing, but instead, he promptly turned and left the café – the bell chiming behind him.

Half jogging back the way he came, Jellal quickly navigated his ways through the streets, in hopes of making it back in time so that he didn't need to face the wrath of his manager.

* * *

"Jellal, you're late!" Ultear immediately scolded him, hitting him on the head with a newspaper, "I said 10 minutes! You took 11."

"If Meredy were here… you wouldn't be yelling at me." Jellal grumbled under his breath, as he took his place on a well-worn seat and a cluttered desk. He pushed a few things aside and set his coffee down in the space he'd made.

"Now, there are 2 days until the dead line. Work hard. I'll be checking up on you later." Ultear said sternly before walking off, the clicking of heels slowly fading away.

Sighing for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, Jellal picked up his pen and started to draw quickly, yet neatly. Soon, a face and hair started forming, his hand gripping harder onto his pen – as hair had always been hard to perfect.

Jellal had a long running series of manga. His creation was currently being developed into an anime, but still had its ways to go before it was aired…

* * *

THE PAST

"Wow! You're really good at drawing… are they your friends?" A girl peeped around his shoulder. She seemed to be in her early teens and had shoulder length blonde hair. Her eyes were bright… but they also seemed to have lost some of its spark.

"I'm not sure." The blue haired boy said shortly. He looked down at his picture – on the page was a detailed sketch of a cat-like girl smiling at another girl and three boys with their arms around each other's shoulders.

"Huh? How so?" The girl leaned closer, her hospital gown brushing against his arm.

"I… I don't remember anything." He mumbled, moving away from her.

"I see… you should become a mangaka!" she clapped her hands, "I'd love to read your manga one day!"

"I don't even know who you are… go away!" He stood up and snapped his book shut.

The blonde cocked her head and smiled, "I'm Lucy, Lucy… never mind. I'm 13 years old." She pointed to herself proudly.

"Do you have cancer or something?" His eyes flashed, wanting to leave.

Her smile drooped, "Terminal illness… the doctors are trying to find a cure. I just wanted someone to talk to."

"Lucy!" A nurse called out, "Time's up, we need you back in your room."

"Okay!" She called back, sending a last glance at Jellal before running off.

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* * *

"Her! _She's_ my roommate?!" Jellal shouted as he entered the room, the doctor trailing behind him.

"Only for a few days." The doctor said gently, "After a few tests, we'll start to help you get your memory back somewhere else."

The two looked over to the peacefully sleeping girl and sighed.

"Fine a _few_ days only." Jellal walked over to the empty bed and jumped in, wriggling uncomfortably on the hard mattress.

The doctor left the room and shut the door behind him, leaving the room in silence.

Jellal found himself looking over to the blonde multiple times, and couldn't help but carefully take out his sketch book and draw.

"What are you doing? Are you drawing again?" a voice spoke out of the blue.

Jellal jumped and his hand slipped, ruining the fine drawing he was just about to finish. "What the hell?" he almost yelled.

"Huh? What did I do?" Lucy sat up straighter, her eyes curious.

"You ruined the drawing." Jellal huffed.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you better be! I hate nosy girls like you!" he exclaimed.

And those were the last things they'd ever said to each other.

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Stupid teenage hormones.

* * *

THE PRESENT

"Oi! Jellal! You've barely done anything!" Ultear came and hit him on the head again.

"Sorry… I was thinking." He quickly hid an old sketchbook under the mess scattered across the table.

"Well, think about your work!" She said, walking off again.

The man turned back to his work, the sound of pen scratching against paper as his co-workers bustled around him, sorting out papers, files and whatnot.

Hours later, as he was close to finishing another page, his phone started to vibrate in the depths of his pocket. Pulling it out, he checked the caller ID.

"Mira? Why is she calling me?" he muttered under his breath, "And how did she even get my number?"

He answered the call and an overly sweet voice spoke through from the other line.

"_Hello? Is this Jellal?"_ Mira asked.

"Yes, did you need something?" he decided not to question how she'd got his number. Mira just knew everything about everyone.

"_Ah, I've decided to have a small gathering at the café tonight. Do you think you can make it?"_

"I guess… who'll be there?" Jellal complied. If Ultear complained, Meredy could just sweet talk her into letting him take a break… and Mira too, if possible.

"_Just a few friends of mine. I think my friend from overseas might be joining us too."_

"Well, I think I could make it… if you help me convince Ultear. She's been a bit on the edge lately."

"_Great! I'll see you then. Oh, Erza is coming too!"_ Her voice seemed to change into a slight dark demeanour, _"So you better be there."_

* * *

"Jellal!" Mira greeted, "It looks like you're the first one here!" She pushed some tables together.

"Yeah, Ultear let me leave… as long as I'm up and working at 5am tomorrow." Jellal groaned.

The eldest Strauss smiled brightly, "Well, I hope it isn't too much trouble, but do you think you could go down to the liquor store and get some alcohol? Preferably red wine and some beer."

"Sure… how much do you need?"

"Uh, maybe a few hundred bottles or so. Elfman will come with you." Mira shoved a credit card into his hand, "Just put it on the café's tab."

"Huh?" Jellal was very confused as he was pushed back out of the door and onto the quiet street.

The sun was setting and the sky was coloured with streaks of pink and orange as he turned toward Elfman, who was waiting for him with a large trolley.

"So… explain to me why we need so much alcohol?" Jellal asked, wondering just how many people were actually coming.

"We need booze, because drinking booze is manly." Elfman said, making the blue haired man even more confused.

"Right…" Jellal sighed, he probably wouldn't figure anything out until most of the people arrived.

The two men turned into a cosy liquor store and Elfman immediately set about placing cartons of beer into the trolley while Jellal just watched him in shock. Obviously Elfman had no problem with buying so much… but at a _gathering_, isn't that just a little overboard?

As soon as the 'manly' man picked out the beer, he moved on to the wine bottles, picking cheap yet still nice wines.

* * *

"We're back." Elfman called as the two re-entered the café.

"Great!" Mira bustled out from the kitchen, carrying plates of food.

There were three other people sitting at the table and he only recognized 1 of them; Erza.

"Well, let's get started!" Mira smiled.

"Is this all the people that are coming?" Erza's eyebrows shot up, along with the other mysterious two.

"Ah, there is another…" Mira started, but as if on cue, her phone rung and she quickly checked the message, "It seems like my overseas friend managed to make it a little earlier than expected."

From behind Elfman and Jellal, the door to the café chimed and a voice spoke, "I hope ya'll haven't taken all the grog… 'cause I'm killin' for a stubby."


End file.
